# Time for a new "Misheard lyrics" thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380 "2006-07-20T19:11:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/1 "2006-07-20T19:11:22Z")
[Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=364447&highlight=misheard+lyrics) the most recent one I could find; my understanding is it’s too old to perform thread necromancy on, so I’m starting a new one. I was looking for song lyrics today, idly paging through Sarah McLachlan songs, when my eyes alighted on part of the song _Building a Mystery_. The song is apparently about a man who pretends to believe in ancient/new age-y religion, but is something of a poseur, or so I gather from lines like > [@Sarah McLachlan](#): > > And your suicide poem > And a cross from a faith that died > Before Jesus came > > You’re building a mystery Apparently he’s a good-looking man, since the lyrics refer to his “smile that won’t wash away” and say “you’re so beautiful”. Therefore I was never surprised by the line, “ **you stretch your ass to wear** ,” even though I couldn’t make out the next words, so I never knew quite what this fancy-dressed poseur was stretching his ass to wear. Turns out the real lyrics are > [@Sarah McLachlan](#): > > **you strut your rasta wear** > And your _suicide poem_ > And a cross from a faith that died > Before Jesus came Apparently I pronounce rasta “rahh-sta” like “shah-sta”, and the artist “rass-ta” like “class-ta”. Or “ass-ta”. And she doesn’t pause long between “your” and “rasta”. 😛 Anyway, that was one I was pretty sure of, and was hilariously wrong about, so I hope it amuses. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/2 "2006-07-20T19:27:54Z")
It does amuse 🙂 I could never understand that line either until I saw the lyrics , only I thought she was saying something about \*astro \* wear :smack: Like he’s running around in a spacesuit or something. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/3 "2006-07-20T19:28:18Z")
This is an old one: In the Creedence song Bad Moon Risin’, the lyric “There’s a bad moon on the rise,” has often been nisinterpreted as “There’s a bathroom on the right.” So imagine my amusement when I watched John Fogerty performing this song on Live By Request. Fogerty is clearly heard at one point singing “There’s a bathroom on the right,” and conspicuously pointing offstage with his right hand. Then at the end of the song he adds, “And it really is on the right, too.” Nice to see he’s having fun with it. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/4 "2006-07-20T19:36:37Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > This is an old one: In the Creedence song Bad Moon Risin’, the lyric “There’s a bad moon on the rise,” has often been nisinterpreted as “There’s a bathroom on the right.” > > So imagine my amusement when I watched John Fogerty performing this song on Live By Request. Fogerty is clearly heard at one point singing “There’s a bathroom on the right,” and conspicuously pointing offstage with his right hand. Then at the end of the song he adds, “And it really is on the right, too.” Nice to see he’s having fun with it. Oh come now. You expect us to believe John Fogarty sang something _clearly_? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/5 "2006-07-20T19:44:51Z")
I recently bought U2’s _How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb_ and was surprised that the lyrics to “Vertigo” were: _Hello, hello I’m at a place called Vertigo_ and not, as I had suspected, _Hello, hello **Madam, please don’t ever go** _ Of course, the title of the song makes so much more sense now. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/6 "2006-07-20T19:56:32Z")
[hippie] 'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky [/hippie] Often misheard as '_Scuse me, while I kiss this guy_ And the inspiration behind this website of misheard lyrics: > **[KissThisGuy.com - The Archive of Misheard Song Lyrics](https://www.kissthisguy.com/)** > > KissThisGuy.com is a social website dedicated to misheard song and music lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/7 "2006-07-20T19:58:28Z")
Oops…obviously, the line is from _Purple Haze_ by the immortal Jimi Hendrix ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/8 "2006-07-20T19:59:25Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > It does amuse 🙂 I could never understand that line either until I saw the lyrics , only I thought she was saying something about \*astro \* wear :smack: Like he’s running around in a spacesuit or something. I had always thought it was “astral” until I did the song at karaoke one night. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/9 "2006-07-20T20:02:52Z")
My mom recently learned that the title of the song is “Forever in Blue Jeans” and not “Reverend Blue Jeans.” She was flipping through a parenting magazine and the title of a photo spread with cute kids in denim was “Forever in Blue Jeans.” She mentioned to me that it was a funny take-off of the song title, “Reverend Blue Jeans.” I corrected her, and the song makes a lot more sense to her now. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/10 "2006-07-20T20:04:50Z")
Speaking of Karaoke, I never knew what the speaker was “doing” in _Semi-charmed life_, as that part was always bleeped or edited out by the stations. When I found out the line was “doin’ crystal meth’ll lift you up until you break,” I was surprised that most stations played the edited version. Of course, even the few times I had heard the real version I couldn’t understand the words. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/11 "2006-07-20T20:05:25Z")
There’s the Paul Young classic [Every Time You Go Away (You Take A Piece Of Meat With You).](http://www.lyrics4all.net/p/paul-young/u/everytime-you-go-away.php) ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/12 "2006-07-20T20:17:22Z")
Two of mine, one Destinys Childs _Jumping,Jumping_. In the chorus where they sing ‘Ladies leave your man at home, the club is full of fellas with their pockets full grown.’ For a long time I thought they were saying ‘full of fellas with their pockets full of bump.’ as in a drug reference, which I thought odd for those girls. I felt a little silly when I found out what it really was. The other is Shania Twain’s _That don’t impress Me Much_. In the verse about the guy that loves his car so much that, ‘I can’t believe you kiss your car goodnight.’ Till I was listening to it on my Ipod I thought she was saying ‘I can’t believe you’d kiss your carpet knife.’ which I know doesn’t make much sense but it was the best I could make it out. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/13 "2006-07-20T20:22:35Z")
> [@](#): > > We don’t need no education > We don’t need no thought control > **Thought’s a hazard** in the classroom > Teacher leave them kids alone I thought that the third line meant, to a teacher, having the kids thinking is a hazard. I still like my version better. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/14 "2006-07-20T21:02:00Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > I thought that the third line meant, to a teacher, having the kids thinking is a hazard. > > I still like my version better. Actually, the line is, “ **No dark sarcasm** in the classroom.” Often misheard as “ **No Dukes of Hazzard** in the classroom.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/15 "2006-07-20T23:00:10Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Actually, the line is, “ **No dark sarcasm** in the classroom.” > > Often misheard as “ **No Dukes of Hazzard** in the classroom.” 😃 Yeah, I know. Hence me posting in a misheard lyrics thread… ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/16 "2006-07-20T23:51:30Z")
“'Scuse me while I kiss this guy” is a classic mishearing of a Classic (for those living under a very large rock, it’s from Hendrix’s _Purple Haze_") One of my recent screwups: While driving late at night to my parent’s place in ME, with the windows down and the volume way up, I heard a kinda new-wavy-grungy tune that fit the hot summer night drive vibe pretty well. Seemed like an upbeat song, something about a June romance… Except for the chorus, which I would have bet large sums of cash went, almost certainly, like “You make me feeeeel like a worm, you make me feeeeel like a worm. Your worm.” Eh, you had a summer fling, and she made you feel like…her worm? Is that, uh, a _good_ thing? Am I being had here? Is this some sorry attempt at cheap pathos? Ah, but I found out in this very forum I had actually heard the song _Dakota_ from an otherwise horrible band called “Stereophonics”. The correct lyrics are “You make me feel like the one (x2). The one.” Silly me. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/17 "2006-07-21T00:10:57Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Yeah, I know. Hence me posting in a misheard lyrics thread… I actually like “No Dukes of Hazzard” better myself. Or at least no Dukes remake. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/18 "2006-07-21T01:02:35Z")
A minor one, but in the Sheryl Crow song “All I Wanna Do”, I thought this lyric: A happy couple enters the bar dangerously close to one another was instead: A happy couple enters the bar, they enter and sit close to one another. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/19 "2006-07-21T02:11:23Z")
Not a misheard lyric, but the mention of Sheryl Crow prompted me to remember that I always thought the line “. . . I’ve got my forty-five on so I can rock on” in the song “Soak up the Sun” was about to a 45 _record_. The spf reference went right over my apparently sun addled brain. Double duh. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380/20 "2006-07-21T03:05:00Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Two of mine, one Destinys Childs _Jumping,Jumping_. In the chorus where they sing ‘Ladies leave your man at home, the club is full of fellas with their pockets full grown.’ Heh. Until reading this post, I heard the line as ‘with their pockets full of chrome.’ I thought it was a reference to pocket change. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-a-new-misheard-lyrics-thread/365380.md?page=2)